Beverage Dispensing Systems and Methods

ABSTRACT

A beverage dispensing system includes a point of sale and one or more free-pour and/or controlled-pour spouts. The system receives data at the point of sale that includes a beverage selection entered at a user interface and determines the ingredients in the beverage selection. A dispensing instruction is sent to one of the controlled-pour spouts to dispense a quantity of the ingredient based at least in part on the beverage selection. For the free-pour spouts, a quantity of the ingredient is measured as the ingredient is dispensed from a container through a free-pour spout. The point of sale receives data that includes the identity of the ingredient and the measured quantity. A price of the beverage selection is calculated based at least in part on the ingredients dispensed and the quantities thereof. The price may be automatically calculated upon dispensing of the beverage selection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. Non-Provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 14/828,368, filed Aug. 17, 2015, which isset to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 9,499,387 on Nov. 22, 2016, which is acontinuation of Non-Provisional U.S. Pat. No. 9,111,303, issued Aug. 18,2015, each entitled, BEVERAGE DISPENSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS, thecontents of which are all hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Beverage dispensing systems aid beverage serving establishments inproviding efficient, accurate, beverage service to patrons. At someestablishments, patrons order complex beverages that require multipleand sometimes expensive ingredients. Servers and bartenders are supposedto dispense these beverages according to a known recipe or pouringprotocol. Following the known recipe or protocol becomes especiallyimportant when cocktails or other alcoholic beverages are poured,because liquor and other cocktail ingredients are expensive and ownersof establishments serving cocktails and other alcoholic beveragesgenerate high revenue on these beverages. Servers and bartenders makemistakes in dispensing or mixing cocktails, which results in waste andreduces the quality of the dispensed beverage and patron satisfaction.Bartenders oftentimes over-pour (providing free beverages or beverageswith greater than the specified amount of alcohol) or under-pour(pouring beverages that do not contain enough alcohol), which furtherresults in inventory loss, decreased revenue, and patrondissatisfaction.

Owners would greatly benefit from beverage dispensing systems andmethods that reduce waste, provide accountability for inventory loss,and increase the accuracy of the dispensed beverages for patrons.

SUMMARY

The present description describes examples of beverage dispensingsystems and methods, the use of which may help overcome problems andlimitations of the prior art.

In an embodiment, a method of dispensing a beverage includes receivingdata at a point of sale that includes a beverage selection that isentered at a user interface; determining that ingredients of thebeverage selection include at least a first ingredient; sending a firstdispensing instruction to a first spout to dispense a first quantity ofthe first ingredient based at least in part on the beverage selection;and calculating a price of the beverage selection based at least in parton the first quantity of the first ingredient.

In another embodiment, a beverage dispensing system comprises a firstdispensing element secured to a first beverage container containing afirst ingredient; a first sensor secured to the first dispensing elementand configured to dispense the first ingredient; and a processor that iselectrically coupled to the first sensor. The processor is configured toreceive data from a user interface that includes a beverage selection;calculate a quantity of the at least one ingredient in the beverageselection; generate a dispensing instruction that includes datainstructing the first sensor to dispense the first quantity of the firstingredient according the dispensing instruction; and send data includingthe dispensing instruction to the first sensor. The first sensor isconfigured to dispense the first ingredient according to the dispensinginstruction. The processor is also configured to calculate a price ofthe beverage selection based at least in part on the first quantity ofthe first ingredient.

In yet another embodiment, a method of dispensing a beverage comprisesdetermining a beverage selection that includes a first ingredient;measuring a first quantity of the first ingredient dispensed from afirst container through a free-pour spout; receiving data at a point ofsale that includes the first quantity of the first ingredient; andcalculating a price of the beverage selection based at least in part onthe first quantity.

In still another embodiment, a beverage dispensing system comprises afirst dispensing element secured to a first beverage containercontaining a first ingredient; a first sensor secured to the firstdispensing element; and a processor that is electrically coupled to thefirst sensor. The processor is configured to receive data from the firstsensor that includes a first quantity of the first ingredient that isdispensed from the first dispensing element and calculate a price of abeverage selection that includes the first ingredient. The price isbased at least in part on the first quantity of the first ingredient.

In still other embodiments, beverage dispensing systems and methodsinclude a combination of the systems and methods previously described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example beverage dispensing system that includesmultiple free-pour and multiple controlled-pour spouts secured tovarious ingredients for beverages.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram that shows components of thefree-pour and controlled-pour spouts within the example beveragedispensing system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram that shows an example of multiplecontrolled-pour spouts within the beverage dispensing system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that shows an example of multiplefree-pour spouts within the beverage dispensing system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a method of dispensing a beverage with a controlled-pourspout.

FIG. 6 shows a method of dispensing a beverage with a free-pour spout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a metered beverage dispensing system 100 that helpsprovide consistent, measured beverages and is designed to provide useraccountability to help in inventory tracking and prevent theft. Whileany beverages may be dispensed from the beverage dispensing system 100,the examples illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 dispense liquors, cocktails, andother alcoholic beverages. Consistency and accountability become veryimportant when dispensing alcoholic beverages because the ingredientsare expensive and are oftentimes difficult to track.

The beverage dispensing system 100 shown in FIGS. 1-4 is designed tooperate either in a stand-alone fashion or in conjunction with abeverage dispenser, such as a computerized liquor control system (notshown) and uses either free-pour or controlled-pour spouts or both. Thebeverage dispensing system 100 keeps track of any number of ingredientssuch as liquors, cocktails, and other beverages and usage of the systemitself, inventory, sales, and any other desired information. When abeverage is poured, the beverage dispensing system may open a new checkfor a patron or group of patrons or add the beverage's price to anexisting check. Such tracking capabilities can be used for salesreporting and to check the accuracy of users of the beverage dispensingsystem to determine whether the users are over-pouring or under-pouringbeverages. For example, all pours, either from a single user or a groupof users, may be time-stamped and saved to a memory such as an on-boardflash memory that is used to generate reports that keep track of sales,costs, inventory usage, and the like.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the disclosed beverage dispensing system 100that includes a point of sale 102, a user interface 104, and multiplefree-pour 106 and controlled-pour 108 spouts secured to various beverageingredients 110. The point of sale 102 may be any suitable centralcomputing device. For example, the point of sale 102 may be a centralserver that is either wirelessly coupled or wired to the user interface104 and the free-pour 106 and controlled-pour 108 spouts. The free-pour106 and the controlled-pour spouts may be, for example, metered spoutsthat are part of the Combopour System available from Easybar.

The user interface 104 may be either integral with the point of sale 102or remote from the point of sale 102. The user interface 104 prompts theuser for data or the user may freely enter data, as desired. The dataincludes information related to the ordered beverage(s) and mayoptionally include any other desired information. The user interface 104is preferably a programmable LCD touch screen with on board imagestorage, but other platforms such as OLED and non-programmable screensare also options. The user interface 104 also may includevoice-activated commands and menus either alone or in combination withthe programmable LCD touch screen.

The beverage dispensing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes multiplefree-pour 106 and multiple controlled-pour 108 spouts. Other examplesmay have fewer or more of either the free-pour 106 and/or thecontrolled-pour 108 spouts and may have none of either the free-pour 106or controlled-pour 108 spouts in some examples. Beverage dispensingsystems 100 that only include free-pour spouts 106 may optionallyinclude the user interface 104. However, beverage dispensing systems 100that include controlled-pour spouts 108 or a combination of free-pour106 and controlled-pour 106 spouts generally include some type of userinterface 104 including, but not limited to a touch-screen computingdevice, a microphone that receives audio instructions, and the like.

The beverage dispensing system 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes a userinterface 104 and both free-pour 106 and controlled-pour 108 spouts arewirelessly coupled to the point of sale 102. The free-pour spouts 106are wireless in the examples shown in FIG. 2, although wired free-pourspouts 106 are an alternative. The controlled-pour spouts 108 shown inFIG. 2 are electromagnetic, ring-activated spouts, although other spoutshaving a controllable locking mechanism may be used. The point of sale102 includes a transceiver 115 to facilitate wireless communication withthe spouts 106, 108. The processor 112 of the point of sale 102 receivesinformation from one or more of the spouts 106, 108 and the userinterface 104, analyzes the data, and generates additional data based onthe information it receives. For example, the free-pour spout 106 shownin FIG. 2 sends data to the point of sale 102 that includes the type ofingredient and the quantity of the ingredient that is being used to poura beverage for a patron. The processor 112 calculates any desired outputdata that is based on this input data from the free-pour spout 106,including a price of the beverage based on the ingredient and thequantity of the ingredient that was measured by the free-pour spout 106.

The controller 114 in the point of sale 102 sends instructions and otherdata to one or more of the spouts 106, 108 and the user interface 104.The controller 114 may include a main microcontroller-based controlboard that manages the user interface 104, detects wireless spoutsignals for the free-pour spouts 106, interfaces with the control boardthat detects and controls the controlled-pour spouts 108, and stores andtimestamps pours from either or both of the free-pour 106 or thecontrolled-pour 108 spouts with brand, amount, and type (cocktail, shot,or other sized pours). The controller 114 interfaces with the point ofsale 102 or any other central computing unit by any suitable connectionsuch as RS-232 ports (the system can be adapted to be used by othercommunication forms). The control board of the controller 114 may mimica scanned keypad matrix or direct serial/USB/Ethernet or othercommunication scheme to effect communication between the user interface104 and the point of sale 102. Any information relating to the user'sbeverage selection and the user interface 104 is stored either on thetouch screen itself or in flash memory on the control board and is userprogrammable, if desired. Any of the control boards used for either thepoint of sale 102 or the controlled-pour spouts 108 can be a customdesign and may have flash memory or other memory included.

Both the free-pour 106 and the controlled-pour 108 spouts are secured tocontainers that contain beverage ingredients 110, as shown in FIG. 2.The free-pour spouts 106 include a transmitter 116 and one or moresensors 118. A user pours the desired amount of the ingredient 110 fromthe container. The sensor(s) 118 in the free-pour spout 106 identify theingredient 110 in the container and measure the quantity of theingredient 110 that is poured from the containers. The transmitter 116sends data that includes the identity of the ingredient 110 and thequantity that was poured to the point of sale 102. Other data may beincluded, as desired. The point of sale 102 calculates the price of thebeverage based on the identity of the ingredient 110 and the quantity ofthe ingredient 110 that was poured after this information is receivedfrom the free-pour spout 106.

The controlled-pour 108 spouts shown in FIG. 2 include a receiver 120,one or more sensors 122, and a locking mechanism 124. Thecontrolled-pour spout 108 receives data that includes a dispensinginstruction generated by the point of sale 102. The dispensinginstruction instructs the controlled-pour spout 108 to dispense aninstructed amount of the ingredient 110 contained in the container towhich the controlled-pour spout 108 is secured. The point of sale 102calculates the price of the beverage based on the identity of theingredient 110 and the quantity of the ingredient 110 that is to bepoured. The calculation of the price of beverages poured from thecontrolled-pour 110 spouts may be calculated prior to the ingredients110 being poured because the ingredient 110 and the quantity is known bythe point of sale 102 prior to commencing pouring of the ingredient 110.However, the price of beverages poured with the controlled-pour spouts108 can be calculated at any suitable time.

As discussed above, the point of sale 102 calculates the price of thebeverage based on the ingredient(s) 110 and the quantit(ies) of theingredients 110 that are poured to make the desired beverage. Somepoints of sale 102 automatically calculate the price upon completing thebeverage's pour and may display the price for the user or store it inmemory for later retrieval, such as when a patron wishes to reconcilehis or her bill for the beverage(s). Alternative points of sale 102request user input to calculate the price of the beverage. For example,the point of sale 102 may prompt the user to confirm that the beveragewas poured correctly before a price is calculated. In another example,the point of sale 102 may prompt the user to confirm when the beverage'spour is complete at which point the price is then calculated toaccommodate any add-ons or custom features of the beverage that may needto be factored into the final price.

The point of sale 102 shown in FIG. 2 optionally includes a clock 126.Some examples have a recording module 126 that includes a clock 127, amemory 129, and optionally a processor 131. These example beveragedispensing systems 100 are able to store time-stamped data in the memory129 and optionally include a processor 131 that manipulates the data orotherwise analyzes it. Reports can be generated from the data stored inthe memory 129 in this example recording module 126. The recordingmodule 126 includes a clock 127 that may be a real-time clock thatpreserves current time for time-stamping purposes and information aboutbeverages poured from either or both of the free-pour 106 andcontrolled-pour 108 spouts in local memory 129. The beverage dispensingsystem 100 may access this information stored in the local memory 129 ofthe recording module 126 in case of a power disruption to the point ofsale 102, for example. An example clock 127 is a battery-lithium iontype CR 2032 clock. The clock 127 timestamps any suitable data includingthe times that a user accesses the beverage dispensing system 100, thetypes and ingredients 110 of beverages that were ordered for purposes ofhelping owners to stock inventory and staff an establishment adequately,and the monitoring of sales.

While any number of ingredients 110 may be used in the beveragedispensing system 100, most often many ingredients 110 are included sothat several different beverage selections can be poured. Eachingredient 110 has a unique thickness and viscosity, which arepredetermined and available to the processor 112, such as in a datastore or other local or remote memory. The sensor 118 in the free-pourspout 106 calculates the quantity of the ingredient 110 that wasdispensed based on this data. For example, the sensor 118 in thefree-pour spout 106 may include a sensor that measures how long thecontainer was inverted. The quantity of the poured ingredient 110 iscalculated based on this time calculation and the known thickness andviscosity of the ingredient 110.

The controlled-pour spouts 108 operate somewhat differently. The pointof sale 102 identifies the ingredients 110 and determines the quantityof the ingredients 110 that need to be dispensed for the beverageselection based on the known thickness and viscosity of the ingredients110 in the beverage selection. The dispensing instruction includesprecise information regarding the amount of the ingredient 110 toinstruct the controlled-pour spout 108 to dispense from the containerbefore the locking mechanism 124 locks the controlled-pour spout 108 andthe ingredient 110 ceases to be dispensed.

Some configurations include a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagor other identifying mechanism that identifies the ingredient 110 in thecontainer when either the free-pour 106 or the controlled-pour 108spouts are secured to the ingredient's 110 container. Identifying theingredient 110 in the container also can be performed manually at thetime the free-pour 106 or controlled-pour 108 spouts are secured to theingredient's 110 container. In this alternative example, the user may beprompted on a user interface 104 to identify the ingredient 110 in thecontainer to which a particular spout is secured. Any suitable means ofidentifying the ingredients 110 may be used.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a controlled-pour 108 and a free-pour spout 106,respectively, coupled to the point of sale 102 in a beverage dispensingsystem 100. The controlled-pour spout 108 example of FIG. 3 shows that auser interface 104 receives input data 128 that includes a beverageselection 130. Any other additional information also may be received bythe user interface 104. The processor 112 in the point of sale 102includes several modules that manipulate and/or analyze the datareceived at the user interface 104. A beverage selection module 132receives the beverage selection 130, identifies the ingredients 134, 136in the beverage selection 130, and identifies the quantity 138, 140 ofeach ingredient that should be included in the beverage selection 130.FIG. 3 shows that the selected beverage 130 includes two ingredients134, 136 and thus two corresponding quantities 138, 140 of each of theingredients 134, 136. The beverage selection 130 may include any numberof ingredients.

The processor 112 in the point of sale 102 also includes a dispensingmodule 142 that generates a dispensing instruction 144. The dispensinginstruction 144 includes the quantity 138 of the first ingredient 134and the quantity of any other ingredients, such as the quantity 140 ofthe second ingredient 136 shown in FIG. 3. The dispensing instruction144 is then sent to the respective controlled-pour spouts 108 of thecontainers for the ingredients 110 to pour the ingredients in theinstructed quantities. FIG. 3 shows a dispensing instruction 144received by controlled-pour spouts 108 regarding first 134 and second136 ingredients.

The processor 112 in the point of sale 102 shown in FIG. 3 also includesa pricing module 146. The pricing module 146 receives information fromany other module regarding the ingredients 134, 136 in the beverageselection 130 and the quantity 138, 140 of each ingredient 134, 136 thatneeds to be dispensed. The pricing module 146 calculates the price 148of the beverage selection 130 based on this data, although it mayreceive other optional data on which it bases the price 148 of thebeverage selection 130. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the pricingmodule 146 receives data from both the beverage selection module 132 andthe dispensing module 142 regarding the ingredients 134, 136 and thequantity 138, 140 of each ingredient 134, 136 in the beverage selection130.

The point of sale 102 includes a tracking module 150 that may be a partof or separate from the processor 112. The tracking module 150 receivesinformation from any of the elements of the beverage dispensing system100. For example, the tracking module 150 shown in FIG. 3 receives datafrom the user interface 104, the beverage selection module 132, thedispensing module 142, and the pricing module 146. The tracking module150 tracks any desired data relating to the beverage dispensing system100 including, but not limited to user behavior and orders, inventory,pricing of beverages for patron bills and monitoring sales, and thelike.

The controlled-pour spouts 108 shown in FIG. 3 may include aring-activated spout that is sealed until the beverage dispensing system100 sends a dispensing instruction 144 to pour an ingredient from thecontainer to which the controlled-pour spout 108 is secured. In someconfigurations, the controlled-pour spout 108 includes a fully sealedRFID tag that is read by the activator ring to identify the ingredientcontained in the container to which the controlled-pour spout 108 issecured. In this example, a spring-loaded stopper seals or “locks” thecontrolled-pour spout 108 until it is opened electromagnetically by theactivator ring based on a dispensing instruction 144.

The sensor 122 in the controlled-pour spout 108 may include a tip sensorthat determines when the container to which the controlled-pour spout108 is secured has been tipped over or otherwise inverted. Abrand-specific calibration factor is used to determine how long thespout is held open to ensure the correct amount of the ingredient ispoured from the controlled-pour spout 108. In some embodiments, thepower for the controlled-pour spout 108 to perform these functions comesfrom the beverage dispensing system 100 so that the controlled-pourspout 108 itself does not contain a power source. The ring-activatedelectronics in the controlled-pour spout 108 are fully sealed againstliquids and may be freely washed.

In some configurations of the ring-activated example of thecontrolled-pour spout 108, the ring is removable from the pouring spout.The identification of the ingredient in the container to which thecontrolled-pour spout 108 is secured is stored in an RFID tag of thepouring spout. When the pouring spout is inserted into the ring, theingredient is automatically identified and the locking feature isenabled. The electromagnet of the ring moves a spring-mounted steelstopper to open the controlled-pour spout 108 and pour the ingredientwhen the dispensing instruction 144 is received. This configuration ofthe controlled-pour spout 108 where the ring and the pouring spout areseparable facilitates sharing ingredients among multiple users. When aparticular user wishes to dispense a beverage, the user only needs toattach a ring to the pouring spout and await the dispensing instruction144 before use. In the event that the pouring spout of a beverage thatis either not included in the beverage selection 130 or that has alreadybeen poured is inserted into ring, the user is alerted of the incorrectingredient and prompted to select the correct ingredient instead.

The free-pour spout 106 configuration shown in FIG. 4 includes a pointof sale 102 having a processor 112, an optional tracking module 150, andan optional user interface 104. For purposes of explanation, FIGS. 3 and4 have been separated, showing the free-pour spout 106 separate from thecontrolled-pour spout 108. However, the free-pour spout 106 and thecontrolled-pour spout 108 may be combined into a single system sharing acommon point of sale 102, processor 112, and user interface 104.Further, the tracking module 150 and pricing module 146 also may becommon to both the free-pour 106 and the controlled-pour 108 spouts,although each of these modules will be programmed to operate differentlywith respect to the data relating to each of the free-pour 106 and thecontrolled-pour 108 spouts.

The free-pour spouts 106 shown in FIG. 4 are secured to two ingredients152, 154, although more or less ingredients can be included in otherexamples. The sensors 118 in the free-pour spouts 118 identify theingredient 152, 154 and measure the quantity 156, 158 of the ingredient152, 154 that is dispensed from the container and may include any one ormore of the following sensors: tilt switches, inclinometer, flowmeter,accelerometer, and the like. The input data 160 to the point of sale 102includes the identity of the first 152 and the second 154 ingredientsand their corresponding quantities 156, 158. An internal calibrationfactor or curve that is based on criteria such as viscosity of theingredient, flow rate of the free-pour spout 106, and the amount of timethat the ingredient was poured, among others, is used to calculate thequantity of the ingredient that was poured. This data is received by theprocessor 112, which calculates a price 162 of the beverage based on theingredients 152, 154 poured and the corresponding quantities 156, 158.Some free-pour spouts 106 locally store this data if communication withthe point of sale 102 is unavailable so that the data can be retrievedat a later time. As discussed above with respect to the controlled-pourspout 108 example, the point of sale 102 optionally includes a trackingmodule 150 that is either part of or remote from the processor 112 thattracks any data received by or generated by the point of sale 102.

The free-pour spouts 106 preserve the look and feel of traditional freepouring of ingredients 110. When the container is inverted, theingredients 110 flow freely from the container. When the container isturned back upright, the free-pour spout 106 sends data in the form ofan RF signal, in some examples, that includes the quantity 156, 158 ofthe poured ingredient 152, 154 back to the point of sale 102, as shownin FIG. 4.

The free-pour spouts 106 are wireless in some examples and maycommunicate wirelessly with the point of sale 102 and other elements ofthe beverage dispensing system 100, such as the user interface 104. Inthis case, each free-pour spout 106 is assigned to a specific beveragedispensing system 100 so that only the correct beverage dispensingsystem 100 receives the signal from the free-pour spout 106 andconfusion does not occur between beverage dispensing systems 100 on whatingredients were poured and to whom the cost of the beverages should beassigned.

Since the free-pour spouts 106 allow the user to freely pour the desiredamount of the ingredient 110, the spouts 106 and the point of sale 102may assign a “size” to each pour. For example, a typical size for asingle shot is approximately 2 fluid ounces. When a user poursapproximately 2.2 fluid ounces, the point of sale 102 may round down tothe single shot size. However, if the user pours a 3-4 ounce shot, thepoint of sale 102 may round up to the double shot size. Various sizesmay be predetermined or may be set by a user. Half and quarter shotsalso may be available as options to measure the pours in some examples.In alternative examples, users may set their own pour sizes or may havethe option to control whether the shot is assigned to a particular sizebefore the pricing occurs. The user may be presented a menu with imageoptions to select the size associated with a particular pour in someexamples or the size may be automatically assigned in other examples.

Referring again to the beverage dispensing system 100 example thatincludes multiple free-pour spouts 106 and multiple controlled-pourspouts 108, many different types of drinks can be dispensed from thebeverage dispensing system 100, including cocktails. Pouring cocktailsusually includes several different ingredients, many or most of whichare alcohol, liquor, or mixers. Pricing of the cocktails can be done bypouring from either the controlled-pour spouts 108 or the free-pourspouts 106. In either situation, the user may select a cocktail from apredefined menu that is presented on the user interface 104. Thecocktail selection is organized in any suitable fashion, such as by thefirst letter of the name of each cocktail. Various menu screens may bepresented to the user during the beverage selection process for thecontrolled-pour spouts 108 and the beverage identification process withthe free-pour spouts 106.

With the controlled-pour spouts 108, when a cocktail is selected, thepricing module 146 determines the price 148 of the cocktail based on theingredients and the quantities that are predetermined for the cocktail.Sometimes, users wish to customize the cocktail by adding additionalingredients, such as a “double” shot or a “floater” of liquor. Userspouring a cocktail from the controlled-pour spouts 108 have the optionto add these features and the pricing module 146 recalculates the price148 based on the custom additions. For example, a cocktail typically hasa single shot of a liquor, such as whiskey, in it but the patron wishesfor the cocktail to have two shots of whiskey in the cocktail. The userof the beverage dispensing system 100 orders the cocktail, then adds asecond shot or any other quantity of the requested ingredient 110, inthis case, a second shot of whiskey is added to the cocktail. Sometimes,the user wishes to view or audibly receive pre-pour instructionsrelating to the appropriate type of glass to use, the amount of ice toadd, whether to include necessary or requested garnish or the like. Theuser may have the option to view this information prior to the beveragebeing poured or may skip this information if the user does not need tosee it.

With the free-pour spouts 106, the cocktail is poured by the user, thenthe beverage dispensing system 100 identifies the poured cocktail bycomparing the ingredients and quantities thereof that were pouredagainst a predefined group of cocktails' recipes until a match is found.If the beverage dispensing system 100 does not recognize a cocktail thathas been poured, the user may be presented with options on the userinterface 104 of cocktails that are similar to the cocktail that waspoured based on the ingredients and the quantity of the ingredients thatwere poured. When the beverage dispensing system 100 does not recognizea cocktail that was poured by the user, the user may be prompted tocreate a new beverage for inclusion in the predefined list of cocktails.The cocktails that are recognized are priced based on the price assignedto the cocktail and/or the ingredients poured, depending on theconfiguration of the beverage dispensing system 100. The pouredcocktails that are not recognized by the beverage dispensing system 100are priced based on the quantity and identity of the poured ingredients.

Security seals may be secured to both or either of the free-pour 106 andthe controlled-pour 108 spouts. The security seals help protect againstunauthorized removal of the spouts from the containers. A user mayattempt to remove the free-pour or controlled-pour spouts so thatingredients can be poured undetected by the beverage dispensing system100. The security seals may be applied by operators or owners of thebeverage dispensing system 100 or anyone who wishes to prevent usersfrom pouring ingredients undetected. The security seals are any suitablemechanism, electrical, mechanical, chemical, or some combinationthereof, that indicates whether the free-pour or controlled-pour spouthas been removed from the container in an unauthorized manner. Examplesecurity seals include heat shrink tubing or other materials and stickertype materials.

Various portions of the beverage dispensing systems described above maybe positioned at different locations suitable to the manner in which thesystems will be used. For example, computing elements, such as theprocessor and an optional memory, may be positioned remote from the userinterface and/or the sensors that are secured to one or more ingredientsof the poured beverages. In yet other examples, some ingredients of thedispensed beverages are located in a remote location, such as a backroom. The ingredients include any liquor, mixer, juice, soda, or otheringredients for the dispensed beverage and may be located in the backroom or any other remote location of a bar, restaurant, or otherestablishment serving beverages. The computing elements and the beverageingredients may be located in the same or different locations from eachother and from the beverage dispensing station and/or the userinterface.

By locating the ingredient containers in the back room, additional spaceat the beverage dispensing station is available that would otherwise betaken by the ingredient containers and a cleaner beverage dispensingstation is provided because spills, changing ingredient containers, andother such tasks occur in the back room rather than at the beveragedispensing station. These and other benefits provide for a cleaner, moreefficient process of pouring beverages at the beverage dispensingstation. Such a system is a “remote” style system as compared to aself-contained system in which all of the elements of the beveragedispensing system are physically located in the same general locationand at or near the beverage dispensing station, such as within a housingor other container at the user interface or near the location where thebeverages are poured or dispensed.

Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 6, methods of the above described systems areshown. FIG. 5 shows a method of dispensing a beverage with acontrolled-pour spout, as described above in which data is received at apoint of sale that includes a beverage selection entered at a userinterface 501; ingredients of the beverage selection are determined toinclude a first ingredient 503; a first dispensing instruction is sentto a first controlled-pour spout to dispense a first quantity of thefirst ingredient based at least in part on the beverage selection 505;and a price of the beverage selection is calculated based at least inpart on the first quantity of the first ingredient 507.

FIG. 6 shows a method of dispensing a beverage with a free-pour spout,as described above in which a beverage selection that includes a firstingredient is determined 601; a first quantity of the first ingredientdispensed from a first container through a free-pour spout is measured603; data is received at a point of sale that includes the firstquantity of the first ingredient 605; and a price of the beverageselection is calculated based at least in part on the first quantity607. The methods shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are shown separated for purposesof explanation. However, these methods may be combined into a singlemethod for dispensing beverages from both the controlled-pour and thefree-pour spouts of FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively.

Many of the features of the beverage dispensing systems described aboveinclude computing elements, such as servers, processors, and the like. Aperson skilled in the art will appreciate that software, firmware, orsome combination thereof may be used to perform one or more of thefunctions of the beverage dispensing system. For example, softwareand/or firmware may be used to present menus to the user at the userinterface. Further, software and/or firmware, may be included in aprocessor that performs the functions of one or more of the beverageselection module, the dispensing module, the pricing module, and/or thetracking module described above.

The beverage dispensing system makes dispensing beverages, especiallycomplex cocktails, easy. It reduces the need for skilled bartenders andreduces the amount of mistakes made by bartenders or other pourers.Further, it reduces the amount of time that is required to dispense acomplex beverage, like a cocktail and helps prevent waste and theft ofinventory. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosedbeverage dispensing system provides additional benefits that are notdescribed in this disclosure.

Thus, although there has been described to this point particularembodiments for a method and apparatus for beverage dispensing systems,it is not intended that such specific references be considered aslimitations upon the scope of this invention except in-so-far as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A beverage dispensing system, comprising: aremote ingredient supply line; a controlled-pour spout having: a sensorconfigured to sense inversion of the controlled-pour spout and to clockthe length of time the controlled-pour spout is inverted; a spout porthaving a controllable locking mechanism that, upon receipt of anactuation instruction, seals the spout port; a point of saleelectrically coupled to one or both of the controlled-pour spout and theremote ingredient supply line, the point of sale having: a touch screenuser interface configured to receive a beverage selection from a user; aprocessor configured to generate a dispensing instruction based on thereceived beverage selection; a transceiver configured to transmit thegenerated dispensing instruction; and a controller electrically coupledto the controlled-pour spout, the remote ingredient supply line, and thepoint of sale, the controller configured to receive the generateddispensing instruction from the point of sale, to generate the actuationinstruction based on the received dispensing instruction, and to sendthe actuation instruction to the controlled-pour spout.
 2. The beveragedispensing system of claim 1, wherein the remote ingredient supply linehas a first end and a second end, the first end positioned near thepoint of sale and the second end positioned remotely from the point ofsale and structured to connect to one or more remote ingredientcontainers that are also positioned remote from the point of sale. 3.The beverage dispensing system of claim 2, wherein the controlled-pourspout has a beverage connector that is shaped to interface with one ormore beverage containers that each contain an ingredient included in thebeverage selection, the controlled-pour spout positioned near the pointof sale.
 4. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the pointof sale further includes memory that is configured to store data relatedto one or more of the determination that the controlled-pour spout wasinverted, the clocked length of time the controlled-pour spout wasinverted, the beverage selection, the dispensing instruction, and theactuation instruction.
 5. The beverage dispensing system of claim 4,wherein the point of sale memory is configured to be accessible by thecontroller.
 6. The beverage dispensing system of claim 1, wherein thecontrolled-pour spout is wirelessly coupled to the point of sale.
 7. Thebeverage dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the point of sale iswirelessly coupled to the controller.
 8. The beverage dispensing systemof claim 1, wherein the controlled-pour spout further includes a uniqueidentifier, that is automatically transmitted to one or both of thepoint of sale and the controller.
 9. The beverage dispensing system ofclaim 8, wherein the automatic transmission of the unique identifier toone or both of the point of sale and the controller occurs when thecontrolled-pour spout is coupled to the beverage container.
 10. Thebeverage dispensing system of claim 8, wherein the unique identifierincludes a brand-specific calibration factor.
 11. The beveragedispensing system of claim 10, wherein one or both of the dispensinginstruction and the actuation instruction are based, at least in part,on the brand-specific calibration factor.
 12. A beverage dispensingsystem, comprising: multiple ingredient containers stored in a backroom; multiple remote ingredient supply lines, each of the remoteingredient supply lines attached to a respective one of the multipleingredient containers in the remote back room; multiple beveragecontainers positioned at a dispensing location remote from the backroom; multiple controlled-pour spouts that are respectively attached toeach of the multiple beverage containers each of the controlled-pourspouts having: an inversion sensor configured to sense inversion of thecontrolled-pour spout and to clock the length of time eachcontrolled-pour spout is inverted; a spout port having a controllablelocking mechanism that, upon receipt of an actuation instruction, sealsthe spout port; a point of sale positioned at or near the dispensinglocation, the point of sale electrically coupled to the multiplecontrolled-pour spouts and the remote ingredient supply lines, the pointof sale having: a touch screen user interface configured to receive abeverage selection from a user; a processor configured to generate adispensing instruction based on the received beverage selection; atransceiver configured to transmit the generated dispensing instruction;and a controller electrically coupled to the multiple controlled-pourspouts, the multiple remote ingredient supply lines, and the point ofsale, the controller configured to receive the generated dispensinginstruction from the point of sale, to generate the actuationinstruction based on the received dispensing instruction, and to sendthe actuation instruction to one or more of the multiple controlled-pourspouts.
 13. The beverage dispensing system of claim 12, wherein thepoint of sale further includes memory that is configured to store datarelated to one or more of the determination that one or more of thecontrolled-pour spouts were inverted, the clocked length of time the oneor more controlled-pour spouts were inverted, the beverage selection,the dispensing instruction, and the actuation instruction.
 14. Thebeverage dispensing system of claim 13, wherein the point of sale memoryis configured to be accessible by the controller.
 15. The beveragedispensing system of claim 12, wherein the multiple controlled-pourspouts are wirelessly coupled to the point of sale.
 16. The beveragedispensing system of claim 12, wherein the point of sale is wirelesslycoupled to the controller.
 17. The beverage dispensing system of claim12, wherein each of the controlled-pour spouts further include a uniqueidentifier, that is automatically transmitted to one or both of thepoint of sale and the controller.
 18. The beverage dispensing system ofclaim 17, wherein the automatic transmission of the unique identifier toone or both of the point of sale and the controller occurs when any oneof the controlled-pour spouts is coupled to the respective beveragecontainer.
 19. The beverage dispensing system of claim 17, wherein theunique identifier includes a brand-specific calibration factor.
 20. Thebeverage dispensing system of claim 19, wherein one or both of thedispensing instruction and the actuation instruction are based, at leastin part, on the brand-specific calibration factor.